Reloaded
by meg127
Summary: Red is on the run from demons that have been hunting him since he was a child; and he has no idea why. Weaponless, he is forced to move from place to place, but that's all about to change.
1. Chapter 1

Devil May Cry: Reloaded

Ch. 1

"Where am I?" he thought, "Who am I?" A chill ran down his spine. It felt like something was breathing down his neck. He turned slowly and came face to face with a giant black monster whose fangs were bared and drool dripped down its chin as it snarled. The young man backed away slowly. The monster lunged at the boy and he screamed.

He woke up in a cold sweat and looked around: he was in his bedroom, not that it really passed for one. It was only a dream then. He pulled his "blanket" up and closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. His room was nothing more than an abandoned house and his blanket no more than a rag. He tried laying on the couch his first night, but it collapsed under him. The floor became his bed.

He had wandered there a few weeks ago. He never stayed in one area for long because the monsters would always find him. This city was large enough to keep him hidden for now, but eventually he would have to leave his run down home like every other down home he stayed in prior.

People noticed him to easily. Word would spread and the monsters would hear and they would come after him. He ran his fingers through his white hair. That was how the monsters were able to find him. People remembered the kid with white hair. He had tried dying it, but every time it washed out like he never used any at all.

He actually managed to find a job in this city. That was good: he could save up the money so maybe one day he could get a place of his own. Assuming he ever got away from the monsters for good. Maybe then he could stop changing his name all the time to.

Every time he stopped at a town or city to rest he chose a new name for himself. In this city he was called Red. He picked it after the color of is old wore out coat.

The only things he owned besides the clothes on his back were his red coat, an old book bag, and the items inside of it. He had his money, a picture of a beautiful blonde women he swore he knew from _somewhere, _and a necklace with a red jewel on the end. He knew that was important to, but he had no idea why.

Truth is he didn't remember much of anything. Oh sure he remembered spending the past several years wandering from town to town, but he couldn't remember his early childhood. He couldn't even remember his birthday. He assumed he was eighteen because that's how old people seemed to think he was, so that's what he went with. He decided his birthday would be May 18th. That was the day he got his job and swore that he would have a new life. While he was saving up for a place of his own, that's what he told people, he was secretly saving up for something else first: a gun. Something he could use to fight these monsters. He was keeping track of the amount of money he had. He had gotten other odd jobs before putting him at $57.38. He wasn't sure how much he needed for a gun, but he had a feeling he was still a ways away.

He rolled over to his side to look out the window. He got really good at telling time from where the sun was since he didn't have a watch. It was about five in the morning. He'd have to get up to go to work soon, so he groaned and stood up.

The place that he worked at was called Sweet Tooth, it was a bakery owned by a middle aged couple whose son was away at college. They talked about him a lot. Tim had just turned twenty-one and would be graduating in the spring. He was studying to become a doctor and had plans to go to medical school.

His parents had a small place over the bakery where they lived. They were keeping their son's room clean for when he came back to city to go to school there. They were both very excited and Red was happy for them to.

He arrived at the bakery ten minutes later. He had to jog in order to get there in time. He didn't mind it though since he was always in good shape. Truth is Red really didn't know how. Oh sure, he travelled on foot a lot, but he never lifted weights or anything yet his whole body had muscle. He figured it was the same reason he has white hair and why the monsters were always after him.

He went into the bakery via the side door and headed into the back to wash his hands. He put his apron on and got to work getting out the supplies.

An older man came down the steps and clasped his hands. "Red! Bright and early as always."

Red gave him a cheesy grin. "I look forward to wearing a pink striped apron and bake cupcakes everyday!" he replied sarcastically.

"Ah, stop it!" the man waved his hand. He was the owner of the bakery, Mr. Garrith. He had met Red on the street one day while getting a newspaper. He never saw a kid with white hair before. Truth is he didn't know anything about him, but he seemed honest enough and was willing to work, so he hired him. Ok so it was his wife's idea, but he didn't regret it one bit. They had a surprise for Red as well.

"Ok," Mr. G, as Red called him, began, "you wanna make the frosting today and I'll do the cakes?"

"Why not?" Red shrugged as he readied the ingredients. He secretly liked doing the frosting since he was good at it. It always turned out so rich and creamy. He even got compliments from customers before!

Mrs. Garrith came down the stairs and smiled, "The two of you look so cute working together."

Red and Mr. G looked at one another awkwardly. "No we don't!" Mr. G chuckled nervously. "We look like men hard at work."

"Making cupcakes." she pointed out slyly.

"Oh you!" Mr. G laughed. "Hand me that do-hickey over there will you? I gotta get this done."

"It would help if I knew what a 'do-hickey0 was." she countered. The two of them poked fun at each other for kicks. Red continued working quietly as he listened.

"I see you smiling over there!" Mr. G yelled at Red.

"I'm not." he replied while trying to keep a straight face. Trying.

The bakery opened a few hours later. Red was polishing the glass case when there first customer came in. "Hello and welcome to Sweet Tooth." he said mechanically. "How can I help you?"

The customer that came in was short, about a foot shorter than Red, but with a big upper body from going to the gym. His face was swollen and his black hair was matted down in front of his eyes. He did not look like someone that wanted a chocolate cupcake with rainbow sprinkles.

"Can I help you?" Red asked again, unsure of what else to do.

The man sniffed loudly and looked around at the different sweets. "I'll uh...have one of these. The red velvets."

Red wasn't sure but it sounded like the man empathized "red" to much. Nah, it was just his imagination. Either way he carefully placed the dessert in a bag and handed it to the customer who then handed Red a ten dollar bill. "Keep the change." he muttered and walked out.

"What the hell?" Red muttered under his breath.

The man picked up the pace as soon as he was away from the bakery. He turned a corner and threw the cupcake into the dumpster. A stranger was leaning next to it. He was wearing a sweatshirt with its hood up. "So?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's him." the man with the swollen face answered.

The hooded man looked up at him and smiled. "Good." he said. His white bangs could be seen covering his left eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that day after the bakery closed Red and the Garriths went upstairs to have dinner. While it wasn't unusual for Red to stay for dinner it wasn't common either. The stifled smiles both of them wore only added to Red's curiosity.

Mr. G put the food on the table while his wife put out the utensils and glasses. Red was told to wash up in the meantime. He did what he was told with a sly smile on his face. He knew something was up. The upstairs was always clean. Mrs. G saw to that. Everything was always dusted and in its place. She has to occasionally smack her husband over the head to help with the cleaning, but he always would in the end.

Red went back into the kitchen and sat down. The three of them made small talk for awhile before Mr. G cleared his throat. Red looked up at him and waited. "So, uh..." Mr. G began, "you know our son, Tim, was planning on coming home this summer?"

"Yeah?" Red responded.

"Well, he called us the other day and said he was moving to the other side of the country with his girlfriend, so we aren't gonna need his room anymore. See, we've been thinking we'd give it to you."

Red looked at one of them to the other. Were they serious? No, but then why would they joke about something like this?

"We know you don't have anywhere nice to live, we'd feel better knowing you were somewhere safe." Mrs. G chimed in.

Red took a long and slow sip of water as he thought. "Sorry but I can't."

The Garriths looked at each other. "Why not?" Mrs. G asked quietly.

"It wouldn't be right. Besides, I'm leaving soon anyway."

Mr. G studied him carefully. "Leaving, huh? Where you plan on goin'?"

"I don't know yet, but I hate hanging around one place for to long." It pained him to say that. He wanted to stay, but he stuck around for to long as is. The monsters would be here soon if they weren't already. Mr. and Mrs. G's pained faces weren't making it any easier.

"Well..." Mr. G began, "you go and get then."

"Henry!" Mrs. G yelled at her husband. "He can at least finish his dinner."

Red felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Something was coming, no it was already here. Uh oh.

The Garrith's bickering was cut off mid sentence by a blade swooping down from the ceiling taking the married couple with it. Red screamed and lunged at the blade, grabbing it in his hand. He tried to yank it out of the attacker's grip, ignoring the pain as the blade cut into his palms. It was then he saw the sword wasn't being held in anyone's hand, it _was _the hand.

He looked up and saw a monster snarling at him. Its six eyes were all focused on him. Red jumped back and ran out of the room with the monster hot on his trail. Red burst into the Garrith's room and slammed it shut. The monster collided into the door causing Red to push on it with all his might to close it again. He fumbled for the lock, his sweaty hands sliding all over the handle. Finally he found the lock and turned it.

He backed away hurriedly as the monster continued to slam against the door. The wood began to crack. Red looked and spotted the closet. He opened the door and grabbed a shoe box. His sweat dripped down his nose onto the box as he tore the lid open. Inside were two twin pistols, one silver and one black. Mr. G told him about these. They were a gift from his father who had purchased them from a stranger who claimed they were magic, that they would never wear. However, they also took no bullets. There wasn't even a way to open them to put bullets in. The stranger claimed that magic was needed to make them work. Regardless they felt right. Something inside of him resonated with the pistols.

The sound of the door breaking open brought Red back. He spun around with the guns in his hands and pulled the triggers. There was a loud crack and the monster cried out in pain. It wasn't enough though. It quickly got back on its feet.

Red continued firing at the monster. Most of the shots missed, but they kept the monster back. Red slowly backed up to the window and, one gun still firing at the monster, jumped through. He landed on the rooftop of the neighboring building and ran. He heard the sharp cry of the monster, but he never stopped running.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Red tried his best to calm down. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since the attack, but he guessed it had been a few hours. He lied on a pile of garbage inside of a dumpster. He was sure to close the lid. The smell was awful, but it was the best hiding place he could find.

The monsters only ever attack him at night. He would wait until morning and then make a run for it. He'd buy a hat to cover up his hair to. Originally he didn't want to spend any money he didn't have to because he needed to save up for a gun, but now he had one. Two actually.

He then realized all his money was in his bag back at the bakery. He groaned. Once the sun came up he would head back there. He couldn't leave behind his bag. It not only held his money, but also that necklace and picture of a woman he swore he knew. He couldn't leave either.

Fortunately he knew where his bag was. It would be downstairs in the bakery. He always left it by the side door, so he could quickly grab it before he left.

Red shifted his head to the right so he could see the crack in the lid. Light was beginning to come in. He would give it another hour to be safe. He then spotted an old shoe with who knows what growing on it. Forget it, he was getting out of that dumpster there and then.

He burst out and stretched, groaning. He could only imagine how bad he smelled. He jammed his two guns into his pants and used his shirt to cover them up. Red walked out of the alley and headed down the street. He was just a young guy going to work, nothing out of the ordinary.

He got the feeling the streets were to quiet though. Oh sure, hardly anyone was ever out all those days he walked to work, but today was just...to quiet. Still. As if life wasn't just sleeping, but there was no life at all. Could people have found out about the attack? No, there hadn't been enough time. Still, once people found out they would be after him. Everyone who ever went to the bakery would remember the boy with white hair. Cops would be looking for him. Great.

Outside the bakery looked the way it always did. If Red didn't know better he would never have guessed something happened last night. A pang of guilt shot through him as he placed his hand on the doorknob. It was his fault after all. He shouldn't have lingered so long. He shook his head and pushed the door open.

The air felt cold and empty inside. A chill went down Red's spine. Everything was so still, so...quiet. To quiet actually. He spotted his things and grabbed them. He put his jacket on and placed his guns carefully inside the jacket. He swung his bag over his shoulder and walked out.

"Hello Red." a voice came from behind him. Red wheeled around and saw a young man with his hood up leaning on the alley wall. "That's what you call yourself, right?" the man continued "You're getting less creative each time. I liked the first name you picked, Tony. That suited you."

"Who are you?" Red asked.

The man stood up straight and walked toward him. Red grabbed one his pistols out and aimed it at him. "Don't come any closer."

"Oh look, you found them. We were wondering how much longer that would take."

"What are you talking about?"

"They were made for you."

"What?" Red stumbled back. "Who the hell are you? Talk sense."

The man smirked and took his head down. White hair dropped down in front of his forehead. Red stared in shock. "Who...?"

"My name is Nero." the other man said simply. "You might want to get your other gun: the demons will be here soon. You're going to need both of them."

Red, his gun stilled aimed at Nero's head, pulled the trigger. Nero reached up and blocked the bullet with his hand. Red gaped, not so much at what happened, but at the sight of Nero's arm. It was red with claws and glowed blue in the middle. "What the hell are you?" Red yelled once he composed himself.

"The same as you." Nero answered and reached up. A long white wispy arm came out of his red hand and grabbed the rooftop of the neighboring building, pulling him him. Red fired another shot at him, but missed.

"Damn it." he sneered, "Who the hell was that?" he asked as he ran his fingers through his hair; Nero's words still fresh in his mind, "the same as you."

The roar brought him back down to earth. Red turned and saw a giant monster charging toward him. Demons, Nero called the demons. "Whatever they're called, I'm getting tired of seeing them." Red sighed and took out his other gun. He immediately started firing. The monster lunged and swiped at him with his claws. Red jumped back, all the while still firing.

He got around the demon and ran down the street, firing blindly behind him. He heard the demon scream in pain and figured he must have hit it. Lucky shot.

Red suddenly stopped short. "No." he muttered under his breath "no more running away." he turned and blasted the monster with bullet fire. The demon screamed and fell to the ground. Red kept firing for a few seconds to make sure it was really dead.

"Hmph." he scoffed and put his pistols back in his pockets. "Now to find that arrogant kid. He's got some explaining to do."


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Nero had to stop running in order to catch his breath. "White hair?" he thought. No one told him Red had white hair too. "Who is that guy?" he whispered. Worse, he would be after him. He now that monster he set on Red would not be strong enough. Well, now that he knows Red has white hair. There can only be one explanation for that.

"Nero." a voice called from behind.

Nero turned slowly and looked as a dark man came toward him. "What do you want, Arkham?" Nero spat.

"I know what you are thinking." the other man, Arkham, replied. "You think you and Red are the same, but don't worry. I know where you're loyalties lie."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nero sneered. "You said Red's a demon and that demons that can't be controlled are dangerous and need to die. Why else have we been hunting him all this time?"

"That is all true-"

"Then why the hell does he have white hair?" You were the one that said that white hair is the sign of an angel." Nero began to shake with rage. "Tell the f*cking truth for once."

"Hey's coming." Arkham said simply and walked away.

"Get back here!" Nero yelled and reached out to grab the man with his Devil Bringer arm, but it went right through Arkham's body like smoke. Nero doubled back in surprise. He felt his chest with his other hand: his heart was pounding. He sneered and fingered his revolver, Blue Rose. "He's coming huh?" he turned back around to examine the road. He saw a young man with white hair wearing an old raded red coat walking toward him.

"Hey you!" Red called.

Nero stood his ground: his hand firmly on his gun.

"You got some explaining to do." Red continued as he strode to him.

"Get back!" Nero yelled as he aimed his gun at Red.

Red stopped short. "Go ahead, man." he snorted. "It would make it easier for me if you just killed me. It would save me a lot of trouble trying to figure everything out."

"Shut up, Demon!"

Red looked at him closely. "What? What did you call me?"

"A demon. That's what you are."

Red could feel his heart pounding in his chest. That would explain how he never got sick or how his wounds would always heal quickly. It would explain a lot of things, but- no. No it couldn't be. Red had to stop himself from wiping the sweat from his brow. It tickled as a bead dripped down his nose. "Heh, you expect me to believe that?" Red shrugged it off.

"Well," Nero wasn't sure what to think, so he fired his gun at Red."

Red woke up lying on the ground. His head was killing him. He examined the room he was in: trying to find a clue as to where he was. The walls were concrete and void of any signs, paint, pictures, or really any homey touches. His heart sank when he saw the metal bars in front of him.

"I guess I'm not dead or I wouldn't be in prison." he groaned as he sat up. is head really did hurt. It always hurt once his wounds healed themselves. Red smiled about the time he broke his leg a few years ago. He wouldn't have cried then if he knew at the time what getting shot in the head felt like.

Red staggered to his feet and waited for the room to stop spinning. He shuffled his feet over to the cell door and looked out. The walls oozed with something he didn't want to know the name of. There was a dim light hanging from the ceiling and in the center of the room was a table. A man Red thought couldn't be more ugly sat there, tapping a book he had balanced on his knee. "Do you know where you are?" the man asked Red and he didn't answer. "How about my name? Or your name?"

Red stared back at him. Truth is he didn't know his real name. He knew it wasn't Red.

The man nodded slightly. "That is to be expected. I am Arkham."

Red looked at him carefully. He couldn't imagine forgetting a face that ugly, buy he really couldn't place him.

"I assume you want to know what you are doing here." Arkham stood up. "Simple we want to test your abilities. Measure your demonic power so we may be able to use it ourselves."

"What are you talking about? I'm not a demon."

"Your eyes tell different."

Truth is Red was finding it harder and harder to believe he wasn't a demon. Arkham opened the cell and grabbed Red. He tried to fight back, but Arkham brought his fist down on Red's neck. He fell to the ground and Arkham dragged him out of the cell.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Red slowly opened his eyes. There was a dim light hanging above him. He heard voices muttering nearby. He tried to turn his head but couldn't. He was strapped down to a table. A man loomed over him. He was smirking at Red. Arkham came over as well. Red could hear gears moving overhead. His eyes widened in terror as a sword lowered from the ceiling. It stopped inches above his stomach.

"Do you know what this is?" Arkham asked. "It is called Force Edge. It is a devil arm. They are the only weapon that can kill a demon. You guns Ebony and Ivory are others."

"You're going to kill me?" Red tried to keep his voice steady, but was failing.

"No. That would be a waste. We are going to unlock you inner power."

There was a loud clank and the sword lowered. It pierced Red's stomach and dug through him. Red withered in pain. He felt pain before, but nothing like this. This was real.

"Dante." A low voice called.

"What?" Red thought. He could hear the voice in his head.

"Your name is Dante."

"My name is Dante."

"Dante!" a boy shook Dante. He opened his eyes and groaned. He saw the look on his brother's face and jumped.

"What is it Vergil?" he panicked. His brother didn't have to explain. A woman's scream came from down the hall. Vergil opened the door to their bedroom and peaked out. Lying lifeless in the hall was the body of a blonde haired woman. Vergil almost let out a scream, but Dante pulled him back and locked the door. "We gotta go!"

"But Mommy!" Vergil cried.

"We have to go." Dante repeated. He opened up their bedroom window and climbed out with his brother close behind.

They ran down the street as fast as they could. There was a loud shriek behind them and they turned. A six-legged monster was crawling toward them. Its eyes were fixed on the two brothers. "Run!" Dante yelled and pushed Vergil.

"Dante, what are you doing?"

"Just go!"

Vergil turned and ran as fast as he could. Dante held his hands up like they were pistols. He would pretend he was using the guns his father left him sometimes. Now more than ever he wished he actually held them.

The monster leaped and collided into him. Dante lay on the flat on the ground: staring up at the sky. Men were circling around him. One of them came forward and bent down. His eyes were two different colors. "You will remember none of this. Not even your name."

Red woke with a scream. A red blast of light shot out of him. The sword was thrown from his body and the restraints were broken. He sat up, swung his legs over the table, and stood up. He went to hold his hand to his head, but stopped. He stared at his hand in horror. His hand was black with red claws. Thick metal plates covered his forearm. He looked down and saw his feet were the same: his talons dung into the ground. He looked around the room for a mirror and found one. What he saw was a black demon with red and black armor. His face was monstrous with sharp fangs and horns coming out the side of his head. Behind him were black wings. Red eyes stared back at him. There was no denying it anymore. He was a demon. Dante felt like he was going to be sick.

A sickening feeling was building up inside of him. He could almost smell the vileness that reeked from his black soul. He was faster and stronger. He could survive a blow to the head. But he was a demon. He was a demon and he'd trade the strength and endurance to be human. He'd give anything if it meant not being a demon.

Dante ran down the hall, passing door after door, until he reached the end. He burst through and surveyed the room. There was an anger building up that was not his. He wanted to smash something. To hurt. To kill. None of this was his, but he felt it anyway and that terrified him.

Arkham turned slowly and looked at him. "That's enough." He said and fired his gun. A blast of water light came out and Dante fell to the ground; his body withered in pain. It felt like one thousand needles were stabbing him at every point of his body. Sweat glistened on his forehead. Once the pain stopped he opened his eyes. Arkham was standing over him.

"Did you enjoy it? It's a special weapon of mine. It kills demons in one hit. For a half-demon like you it simply forces you out of your demon form."

Half-demon?

"Now get up." Arkham stepped back and Dante sat up. All the pain was gone from his body, but he still shook as he stood. What was that? Once he was on his feet Arkham fired another blast. Dante was on the floor again. "It also causes excoriating pain."

Without breaking eye contact Dante rolled onto one knee and tried to get up, but he was shot again. "So sorry," Arkham stated "but before we proceed I have to make sure aren't able to fight back. Demons like you are dangerous and have to be controlled."

"You….prick." Dante forced out. He held his side with his one hand. Arkham still had his gun aimed at him. Dante would have to be quick. With all the energy he could muster, Dante reached into his inside pocket and pulled out Ebony, one of his guns, and fired.

Arkham fell to the floor, his gun flew across the room, and his arm was bleeding. Dante forced himself to his feet and stood over the other man. He took his other gun out and aimed both of them at Arkham. "You think I'm dangerous? You killed my mom. You erased my memory and sent monsters after me. You even killed the only people in the woman that loved me. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to live."

Arkham didn't say anything.

"Hey maybe even go to school. Have a place of my own and a family. You call that dangerous?"

Arkham still didn't say anything. He simply looked at Dante with his discolored eyes: studying him. Suddenly there was a gun at Dante's head. He looked out of the corner of his eye at Nero. "What? You want to save this prick?"

"Step away." Nero said coldly. "You aren't gonna touch him. Not until I know the truth."

"About what?" Dante sneered. "About yourself? You're a demon too, kid."

"Don't call me that. I'm not a kid."

"You're a demon though?" Dante smirked at him playfully.

"Shut up. You're the demon. Not me."

"Oh come on." Dante turned to look at him. This was Arkham's chance. He kicked Dane in the leg and scrambled up as Dante fell. Nero continued to aim his gun at Dante as Arkham strode over to his own gun.

"Come on." Dante said to Nero: ignoring Arkham. "He's the one that you should be pointing that gun at. He's been playing you."

"I'm not interested in your bullsh*t." Nero yelled, but he wondered if it was true. He knew in the pit of his stomach that he was a demon like Dante. Arkham had lied to him. But could he trust Dante?

"Nero, right?" Dante asked.

"Yeah." Nero responded after a moment.

"Did you ever hear the phrase "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?

Arkham had since retrieved his gun and was now aiming at Dante. Nero looked at Arkham. "Nero, don't you want a life away from this guy? Find yourself a nice girl or something?"

"There is someone…but…" Nero lowered his gun."

"Nero, raise your weapon." Arkham said to him calmly.

"But…" Nero redirected his gun at Arkham."

"What do you think you are doing?" Arkham asked. Dante used this as an opportunity to stand up and aim his guns at Arkham as well.

"You forbid me to see her. You said humans weren't worthy of angels. But you lied. I'm not an angel and you know it." Nero cried.

Cornered, Arkham backed away slowly. "Demons cannot be trusted. If I let you be with her, you would have killed her."

"Never." Nero grinded his teeth. "You're nothing but lies."

Arkham held his gun firm. Dante snorted. "You know, our guns do more than just cause pain."

A loud crash sounded behind them. The door blasted open and a killed demon's body was flung aside. A group of men ran in. The last one to enter had white hair that was slicked back out of his face. He looked exactly like Dante. He raised his hand and the other men pointed their guns at Arkham.

"Nowhere to run." Dante smirked.

Arkham shook his head. "Hm, you don't get it do you?" He turned to look at the leader of the new group. "This is not the first time I've outrun you, Vergil." He said before throwing down a small bottle. It opened and a cloud of smoke surrounded him. Nero made a desperate shot, but knew he had missed.

Once the smoke cleared there was nothing left of Arkham except for the broken glass on the floor. Everyone lowered their weapons and looked at one another.

The other white-haired-man, Vergil, looked at Dante: "Brother" he said flatly.

"Hey." Dante answered. Suddenly all the memories of his twin came flooding back. He smiled broadly as Vergil walked toward him. "I trust you remember me now?"

"Yeah. I had to get stabbed in the gut, but I remember you."

"Good." A very thin smile appeared on Vergil's face before it vanished again. "I've been looking for you for years. I even asked The Garriths to take care of you if they ever saw you."

"What? You knew the Gs?" Dante asked.

"Yeah. They took me in the night the demons attacked us. They were friends with our father."

"Figures…." Dante shook his head. He still couldn't believe they were dead.

"Come on." Vergil said and turned away. Dante looked at Nero who shrugged.

"I guess I'll come too?"

"Yeah." Vergil responded. Nero ran up alongside Dante and they group walked out together.

The sun had since come up. Dante wondered how long he had been inside. In fact, he wanted to know where the hell they were. None of it looked familiar. They were in some sort of warehouse district. He glanced over at Nero who was eyeing Vergil in awe.

"So," Dante addressed Nero. "Who's this girl?"

Nero's face turned bright red. "Kyrie." He muttered.

"Where is she now?"

"With her family. Up north or something."

"Why don't you go to her?"

"Oh come on! I dumped her a few years ago. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Kyrie, the reason I dumped you is because I thought I was an angel and couldn't be with you, but I'm actually a demon'?"

"Sounds good to me." Dante laughed. Nero's faced turned even redder.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Dante sat twirling Force Edge in his hands. He examines the blade with a sense of disbelief. Everything was explained to him. His father was the legendary dark knight Sparda. He remembered growing up how he never saw his father. His mother was a strong woman that took care of him and Vergil on her own. She never seemed stressed or anything. He remembered the one time he asked his mother about his father. She looked at him and smiled and said that she was proud of him.

That was enough for him.

In fact, knowing that his father saved the human race and fell in love with a woman like his mother made Dante feel better about being a demon. He heard stories of demons attacking people. Hell he was attacked his whole life. Knowing that his father was an honorable man made it…easier. He wished he knew his father. No one knew what happened to Sparda after he closed the HellGate.

In fact, he'd think regaining his memories would be strange, but for some reason it wasn't. He went most of his life wondering who he was and now he knows and it's…normal. Like the memories were always there in the bottom of his mind just waiting for him to open the door and pull them out. Like he never truly forgot.

It was a nice feeling. Knowing who you are.

Now if only Nero knew who he was. That was one thing he was determined to do: to help Nero discover himself. He was clearly part demon or he won't have white hair and that arm of his, but how much. And why? And how at all?

It's funny. All his life Dante wanted to know who he was. Now he does and he's okay with it. Now Nero is in the same spot he was. Dante knew how much it can hurt not knowing. He hoped Nero's truth was as good as his own.

There was a knock on the door and Nero came in. "Vergil said you were back here. What are you doing?" He looked around. Dante was sitting on a box in a maintenance closet. Vergil's group moved around a lot: never staying in the same place for more than a few days. This time, they were camping out in an old office building.

"I needed a place to think." Dante said while staring at the ground.

"Yeah, everything is a lot to take in."

Dante tossed a box down across from him, and Nero took a seat. They both sighed heavily and stared at the floor. "So," Dante started "how you holding up?"

"I thought I'd be more upset. I was when I first found out, but now I'm okay. I mean, Sparda was a demon and the world's greatest hero. So how bad can we be?"

"That's what I was thinking too."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Nero continued talking. "Vergil has a plan. Apparently, he has been following Arkham for years, trying to take him out, but he has always escaped."

"Not this time?"

"No. Vergil knows where he is headed. Arkham keeps returning to this one spot. Vergil thinks it's his main headquarters. We're gonna head there first thing tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "What are you planning to do once this is over?" Dante asked. Nero looked at him confused.

"I don't know. I _could _try to find Kyrie and apologize to her, but I don't know. What about you?"

"I have no idea. I guess I could wander around more. It would be nice to a tourist instead of a guy on the run."

"I was thinking. There's demons everywhere. They attack people, haunt them, torture them. A lot of times, they don't do it out in the open. A lot of victims are seen as insane."

"What are you saying?"

"There's some demon hunters out there, but I don't think they'd be as good as us."

"Yeah?" Dante smiled at the idea of being a professional demon hunter. He was hunted for so long; it would be nice to be able to help other people. "You saying we should go into business together?"

"It's something to consider."

"What would we name it? Our business?"

Before Nero could respond, Vergil opened the door. "We need to talk." He left again before either of them could respond. Dante and Nero looked at each other and shrugged.

They followed Vergil outside where a group of men were armed and waiting. "We found Arkham." Vergil said. "As far as we know, he doesn't know about our movements. Nero, is there anything you can tell us about him that can be useful?"

"Sure." Nero said. "Sometimes he'd get really paranoid and disappear for awhile. Now that I think about it, that was probably because you were closing in on him. He also doesn't know how to fight. Or at least, I've never seen him fight. He always had me or some other demon fight for him." Dante noted Nero's wince when he called himself a demon.

"I suspected as much." Vergil said. "The three of us are going in first." He turned to the rest of the men. "You'll surround the building and ensure he can't escape."

"Yes, Sir!" they all yelled.

Dante smirked as they head off and said "Let's rock."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It looked like any ordinary home. The lawn and garden were well kept and there was a car parked outside with a "My daughter is an honors student" bumper sticker on it. There was even a basketball net in the backyard. The only strange thing seemed to be the the curtains were drawn closed despite it being daytime. Dante glanced over at Vergil who was watching his men move into position.

"Er..." Dante leaned over to Nero. "You sure this is the right place?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, it looks a little..._too _homey."

"What were you expecting? A medieval castle?" Nero laughed.

"Gothic actually." Dante smirked. Vergil walked over to them, swinging Yamato in his hand.

"We'll be entering through the front door. Stay on ground." He grasped the hilt of his sword and went first. Dante had secured Force Edge on his back and Ebony and Ivory in his back pockets. He took out both guns and held them in front of him. Nero had his own gun, Blue Rose, ready as well. Vergil kicked the door open and the three of them swarmed in and spread out.

Dante wasn't sure what he expected, but a cozy living room complete with fireplace was definitely _not _it. "Um..." he looked from Nero to Vergil and back again. Nero nodded and took the lead.

"Over here." Nero said. He lead them into the basement where they found-

"Guys are you sure this isn't just some nice family's place?" Dante asked as he set foot in what was a total man cave.

Vergil shook his head. "You can't expect Arkham to make it obvious where his lair is."

"Well yeah, but-" Dante tried to argue but was cut off by Vergil's sideways look. "All right, fine. Whatever. Lead the way, Nero."

Nero nodded and pushed the couch out of the way. He tossed the pizza boxes that were underneath: revealing a trap door. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. So instead he smashed it with his devil bringer arm. "After you." He said to Vergil as he stood up.

Vergil climbed down first. Nero followed and Dante went last. He couldn't help but admire the surround sound system in the basement. He had been on the run for so long, and now that his adventure was almost over, he couldn't help but daydream about what he could buy once he didn't have to run anymore.

Dante reached the end of the ladder and hopped off. He looked around the room in confusion. "So...where to now?" They were in a dark, circular room. The only source of light were torches hanging along the wall. There didn't seem to be any way in or out besides the ladder they had just climbed down.

"Damn it." Nero muttered. "This doesn't make any sense." He said louder as he ran into the middle of the room. "Where are you, Arkham?" he yelled up at the ceiling. As if in response, glowing swords shot out of the walls and floor in every direction. Despite their best efforts to dodge or block the swords, Dante, Nero, and Vergil were all impaled multiple times. They fell to the ground.

A man walked out of the shadows, clapping. "Well done." he said. "You managed to find me sooner than expected."

"Damn you, Arkham." Nero sneered as he tried and failed to stand up. Dante and Vergil were able to help each other stagger to their feet and Dante helped Nero up.

"Impressive that you managed to recover so quickly." Arkham clapped his hands together. "But I fear your efforts are in-"

Vergil dashed across the room and cut Arkham in half. Dante and Nero stared, open mouthed, at the mutilated corpse on the ground. "Uh..." for the first time in his life, Dante didn't have a one liner.

"What now?" Nero asked.

Vergil sheathed his sword, strode across the room, and climbed back up the ladder.

"How did...what the...he...who...Nero?" Dante didn't know what to say.

"I know. I little anticlimactic, don't you think?"

"Anticlimactic? Why are we even here? Why did Vergil need u- what is his shadow doing?"

Nero turned to see where Dante was pointing. While Arkham's body was still on the ground, his shadow was stretched all the way to the wall, dancing. The only light source was coming from Arkham's body. It glowed brighter and brighter and the shadow danced faster.

"Vergil!" Dante yelled, but his brother must have already gone outside. "Crap." He readied his guns, pointing them at the shadow. Nero held his sword ready. "Let's do this." Dante smirked in an attempt to hide his fear.

The shadow grew and grew. It sprouted claws and horns. It climbed out of the wall. Dante started firing immediately. His bullets passed right through it. "Damn it, now what?"

Nero charged at Arkham's shadow, leaped, and swung down. His sword landed a blow.

"YES!" Dante cheered as he switched to his own sword.

Nero tried to pull his sword out of the Shadow's body, but it only sunk deeper into it. The harder he pulled the more in sunk. Soon Nero's hands were trapped as well. Then his arms.

Dante ran up to him and tried to pull him out. The Shadow only laughed as Nero's whole body was pulled inside. Dante leapt back and stared in disbelief. He called again for Vergil, but he was once again in vain. Once again, Dante was alone.


End file.
